Jim Wright was sworn-in as the 51st Railroad Commissioner of Texas Monday. The lifelong South Texan joins a three-member Commission in leading an agency that is more than a century old.
The Railroad Commission plays a major role in oversight and regulation of the Texas oil and gas industry.
In his swearing-in speech Wright quickly turned his attention to accusations that fossil fuels are causing global warming.
“It's no secret today that fossil fuels are being blamed sometimes solely for global climate change,” said Wright. “These attacks on resources that keep our energy cost reliable and are truthfully less environmentally impactful than today's renewable sources at scale.” He went on to call this “a major challenge for us to address in the coming future”.
The comments caught the attention of environmental groups in Texas.
Luke Metzger, the Director of Environment Texas called the Commissioner’s comments “preposterous” saying, “So we know that wind and solar power don't emit any emissions. They’re unlike fossil fuels and scientists are quite clear that in order to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, we need to move over to a hundred percent renewable energy and get off of fossil fuels.”